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The Government has developed a five-year health plan that will cost Sh1.4 trillion.
The big spending plan projects to have Kenyans living five years longer than today by 2017.
Part of the Kenya Health Sector Strategic and Investment Plan (KHSSP July 2014–June 2018) signed by Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia will include equipping and upgrading about 100 Level 4 hospitals across the country.
The Health ministry says it has shared the plan with county and other relevant authorities.
"We shared the final draft with the counties, the Transition Authority, Commission on Implementation of the Constitution, donors and the private sector," said Mr Macharia
The roll out of the plan started in June last year with advertisement of a tender for medical equipment which was withdrawn due to what the ministry described as technical issues.
Mr Macharia had said the tender, which should have been closed in the first week of July, had been cancelled after some parties had raised 'credible concerns' over specifications.
The new closing date was to be changed again and extended for another 30 days through a notice signed by Health Principal Secretary Khadijah Kassachoon.
Governors have also opposed the project, arguing they were not involved in its formulation and also see it as a scheme by the national government to deny them health funding.
Former Chairman of the Council of Governors Isaac Ruto argues that equipping hospitals is the role of the county governments a position shared by his successor Peter Munya.
fight obesity
However, the plan invokes the Constitution as having given the national government the exclusive rights for capacity building and technical assistance to the counties.
"According to article 186 (1) of the Constitution of Kenya, Schedule 4 assigns the national referral health facilities, health policy and capacity building and technical assistance exclusively to the national government,"
According to the plan, the Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Referral and Teaching Hospital will be refurbished.
Other targets include cutting the number of annual deaths by about 20 per cent and sensitising the public about obesity as part of efforts to fight heart diseases, cancers, diabetes and other lifestyle diseases.
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